Re: “The Image Problem,” Opinion, Sept. 25
To the Editor:
College admissions have NEVER been more competitive — especially at the top. High-achieving students, particularly those from well-off families, look for any possible edge in obtaining the most “bang” for their higher education bucks. With admission rates at Harvard, Yale, and Princeton straddling single digits, top students are applying to an average of 11 schools, thereby increasing the number of applications at most top-ranked universities to record levels.
In eliminating early admissions, Harvard and Princeton have opened the floodgates to this applications pool even further. Universities such as Cornell have the most to gain as ultra high-achievers are forced to look at a broader range of schools up front and take their chances within a bigger, more diverse group of regular decision applicants. While some of these students might be tempted to apply early to Cornell, it’s more likely that the “most competitive” students in this group would rather apply to a larger group of schools than risk a binding agreement with Cornell, when their hearts, scores and extracurriculars are telling them to hold out for a the “possibility” of a slot at one of the more “selective” Ivies, MIT, or Stanford.
By eliminating our own early decision program, we open 30 percent of our seats to a wider range of students. It opens our doors to economically disadvantaged students who feel that they can’t apply early because the need to shop for the “best package” — and it allows the “most competitive” students to submit an application without making an early commitment. Either way, we end up with the potential for a more diverse and more “selective” student body — unless we refuse to join the no-loan financial aid game for another couple of years.
“Any Person, Any Study” requires a deep commitment to fairness in the admissions process and increasingly robust financial aid. If we refuse to join with Harvard and Princeton on our admissions procedures and Yale, Penn, Columbia, and Stanford in offer no-loan financial aid, we will be saying “no” to the 21st century version of Uncle Ezra’s 19th century dictum and hobbling Cornell’s future competitiveness in attracting the world’s top students — regardless of socioeconomic class
Peter S. Cohl ’05
Past Chair, Image Committee of Student Assembly